Drugs and substances
Confidential support for any kind of substance use.
Online Substance Use Counselling · Cambridge
Online Substance Use Counselling in Cambridge
Online substance use counselling for Cambridge, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre to the streets around the Backs, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Cambridge
Substance Use Counselling for Cambridge, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Cambridge: from the colleges and the centre to Mill Road, Cherry Hinton and Chesterton
- Known for
- The colleges, the Backs and the river Cam
- Region
- East of England (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Cambridge
Why people in Cambridge reach out
Cambridge carries an extraordinary concentration of academic and professional high achievement, and with it some of the highest living costs in the country. The pressure to perform, whether you are a student, a researcher or working in its booming science and tech sector, can leave little room to admit you are struggling.
Cambridge folds a world-famous university into an everyday working city, and the two rarely sit still. Term brings the colleges and the Backs to life, while out at the Biomedical Campus around Addenbrooke's and across the science parks that ring the city, the labs and start-ups of Silicon Fen run to their own restless clock. Between the punts on the Cam and the cycle traffic along Mill Road, there is a quiet expectation to keep pace. People arrive from all over the world and often move on again, so friendships can feel provisional and the settled networks that steady us are not always to hand. Under the postcard architecture, plenty of residents carry more than the bright surface suggests, and finding an unhurried hour for yourself is genuinely hard.
With the academic year setting a relentless pace, online sessions flex around terms, deadlines and shift work rather than fighting them.
Cambridge is home to the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust); NHS mental health services are provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Cambridge
Mill RoadCherry HintonChestertonTrumpingtonNewnhamRomseyArburyPetersfieldKings HedgesColeridge
Wherever you are in Cambridge, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Cambridge
These figures are local context from official sources, not a description of you, but they show the scale of what people in and around Cambridge are living with, and why local support matters.
the rate of deaths from drug misuse was 3.6 per 100,000 in 2022 - 24, below the England average of 5.8 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Deaths from drug misuse (2022 - 24).
3.3 adults per 1,000 were in treatment at specialist drug-misuse services in 2020/21, below the England average of 4.5 per 1,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Adults in treatment at specialist drug misuse services (2020/21).
Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.
The substance use counselling itself
Substance use counselling here is non-judgemental and one-to-one, working with the pain, fear or loneliness the substance has been managing, at a pace that protects your sense of safety.
The approach is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods, what each session covers and fees, on the main substance use counselling page and on how I work.
How online sessions work
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop, no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.
I work with people across Cambridge and the wider Fens by video call and phone, rather than from a room in the city. I am based in Hove, so sessions come to you wherever you are, whether that is a flat off Mill Road, a house in Chesterton or a quiet office between meetings. All you need is a private space and a reliable connection, and we can find a time that fits around study, shift work or the commute.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
How online substance use counselling in Cambridge can help
The false self
Letting go of the protective self that no longer serves you.
Specialised attention
One-to-one sessions shaped entirely around you.
Self-discovery
Rediscovering the authentic self beneath the coping.
Anxiety and low mood
Treating what the substance has been masking.
Sustainable change
Growing into recovery rather than forcing it.
Substance Use Counselling in Cambridge
Why people in Cambridge come for substance use counselling
Recreational and stimulant use runs quietly through parts of student and professional Cambridge, from the colleges to the labs and offices of the science parks, and what began as a way to keep pace or unwind can slowly take hold. In a place where days are shaped by supervisions, deadlines and lab hours, it is easy to tell yourself you have it under control. I work online from Hove, so we can look together at your substance use, what it does for you and what it costs you, from the privacy of your own room. No clinic, no waiting room, just a confidential, unhurried conversation at a time that fits your week.
A free, unhurried first step
Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.
Book a free 15-minute callDrug, alcohol & addiction support in Cambridge
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. You can find your nearest free NHS-funded drug and alcohol service via the NHS “find a service” directory (search “Cambridge”).
For confidential information and advice, FRANK (on 0300 123 6600) and Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 are free, and Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run peer-support meetings you can find online.
Other local and national support verified for this area includes:
If you need urgent help now
This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Cambridge questions
Online Substance Use Counselling in Cambridge: common questions
Can I get online substance use counselling if I live in Cambridge?
Yes. I work with people right across Cambridge, from the colleges and the centre outwards, and anywhere else in East of England, by secure video, no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.
Can I get support while I'm still using?
Yes. This is non-judgemental, one-to-one work that meets you where you are, and it can run alongside any medical or detox support you have.
How is this different from a group or 12-step programme?
It is individual and shaped entirely around you. Some people use it instead of groups, others alongside them.
Will you tell my GP or employer?
No. What you share is confidential within the BACP framework; nothing goes to anyone else without your consent.
Is this only for people who are dependent on drugs?
No. Many people come while use is still functional but growing, unsure whether it is a problem. Working online from Hove, you can explore that honestly around study or work, without a label and without needing to walk into anywhere in town.
Is online substance use counselling available in Cambridge, and when could I begin?
Yes. I see people across Cambridge and the surrounding Fens online, and there is no local waiting list, so most begin within days. After a free 15-minute consultation we set a first session, working around supervisions, deadlines or work at the science parks of Silicon Fen.
How much does substance use counselling cost privately versus the NHS in Cambridge?
I charge £80 for a 60-minute session, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for 120, and the first 15-minute consultation is free. NHS substance use support in Cambridge is free but access can take time, while private online sessions with me can start promptly and confidentially.
Would substance use counselling be online or in a Cambridge clinic, and are evenings possible?
It is online only, by secure video or phone from Hove, not from a clinic in the city. Many connected to the university or start-ups prefer this, since you take part from your own room. Evening slots are available, so sessions fit around a full day without any travel.
Do I need to come to a clinic in Cambridge to see you?
No. I am based in Hove and work with people in Cambridge entirely online, by secure video or phone. That often suits a city where days are shaped by lab hours, teaching terms or a long commute, because there is no travel and no waiting room, just a private hour that fits your week.
Can this help if I am a student or researcher under pressure?
Yes. Many people connected to the university or the science parks find the pace hard to admit to. Working online means you can talk things through from your own room, around supervisions or deadlines, without needing to be seen walking into somewhere in town.
Online Substance Use Counselling in Cambridge, whenever you are ready
A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.
Also available online across East of England: Peterborough, Norwich. See all of East of England.
All counselling & therapy in Cambridge: Addiction · Drinking Problems · Anxiety · Depression · Relationship · Trauma · Counselling & Therapy · Psychotherapy.
Closer to the Sussex coast? The same substance use counselling is available in person in Brighton & Hove, or see all in-person areas.